A sad tale of levies

October 21, 2012

I won't pretend to know much about school levies and taxes, but I do know when something just seems sad.

Here's my story: A few weeks ago, I played catch with a young man in a Richmond neighborhood. As we tossed the football back and forth, I asked if he played high school football. His answer was no, he played baseball. When I asked why he didn't play more sports at his school (it was obvious he was an athlete), his reply shocked me - "My dad raised me by himself, and money is tight, so I can't afford to play more than one sport because the school charges me to play."

This is sad on two levels. First, so many families are struggling to get ahead these days, and, second, our young people are being deprived of the chance to participate in activities because of money.

I thought our society knew the importance of education and extracurricular activities.

I don't have all the answers, but I thought I'd share this story. You decide if you think it is as sad as I did.